Author

DeJong, William

Franz, Holly G.

Wolfe, Susan M.

Nathan, Howard

Payne, Denise

Reitsma, William

Beasley, Carol

Bibliographic Citation

American Journal of Critical Care. 1998 Jan; 7(1): 13-23.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Approximately half of the families asked to consider
donation of a relative's organs decline to give consent. Understanding the
difference between stated public support of organ donation and actual behavior
is key to decreasing the shortage of donor organs. OBJECTIVES: To gain insight
into the experiences of potential donor families and to define features of the
donation-request process and other factors that are associated with consent
for organ donation. METHODS: A structured telephone interview was conducted
with the immediate next of kin of 164 medically suitable potential organ
donors. Interviews 30 to 60 minutes long were held with members of both donor
and nondonor families 4 to 6 months after the death of the study participant's
relative. RESULTS: Several factors were associated with consent for organ
donation: characteristics of the patient and the patient's family, beliefs and
attitudes about organ donation and transplantation, whether the family knew
the deceased's wishes about donation, the family's satisfaction with the
hospital care that their relative received, specific aspects of the
donation-request process, and the family's understanding of brain death.
CONCLUSIONS: Organ donation rates could be increased by enhancing the quality
of hospital care and ensuring that the request for donation is handled in a
way that meets the families' informational and emotional needs.

The idea that financial incentives or any other type of policy "quick
fix" can bring the organ shortage to an end is alluring, but in the end the
organ transplantation community is left with a lot of hard work to do. ...